Topical Bible: Land: Monopoly of

◄ Land: Monopoly of ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical context, the concept of land and its ownership holds significant theological and social implications. The Scriptures present land as a divine gift, entrusted to humanity for stewardship and cultivation. The monopoly of land, or the concentration of land ownership in the hands of a few, is addressed in various passages, reflecting God's intentions for justice, equity, and the well-being of His people.

Divine Ownership and Human Stewardship

The Bible begins with the assertion that the earth belongs to the Lord: "The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein" (Psalm 24:1). This foundational truth establishes that while humans may possess land, ultimate ownership belongs to God. Humanity is called to be stewards, managing the land according to divine principles.

The Promised Land and Tribal Inheritance

In the Old Testament, the land of Canaan is promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The distribution of this land among the tribes of Israel is detailed in the book of Joshua. Each tribe received a specific inheritance, ensuring that land was distributed equitably among the people. This distribution was intended to prevent the concentration of land in the hands of a few and to maintain social stability and justice.

Jubilee and the Prevention of Land Monopoly

The Year of Jubilee, as described in Leviticus 25, serves as a divine mechanism to prevent the permanent monopoly of land. Every fiftieth year, land that had been sold was to be returned to its original family owners. This law ensured that no family would be permanently dispossessed of their inheritance, thus preventing the accumulation of land by a wealthy elite. Leviticus 25:23 states, "The land must not be sold permanently, because it is Mine, and you are but foreigners and sojourners with Me" .

Prophetic Critique of Land Monopolies

The prophets frequently condemned the unjust accumulation of land. Isaiah 5:8 warns, "Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field, until there is no more room and you alone dwell in the land" . This critique highlights the social and moral dangers of land monopoly, which leads to the marginalization and oppression of the poor.

New Testament Perspectives

In the New Testament, while the focus shifts from physical land to spiritual inheritance, the principles of justice and equity remain. Jesus' teachings emphasize the values of generosity, community, and care for the poor. The early church practiced communal sharing, as seen in Acts 4:32-35, where believers shared their possessions to ensure that "there was no needy one among them" .

Conclusion

The biblical narrative consistently upholds the principles of equitable land distribution and stewardship. The monopoly of land is viewed as contrary to God's design for justice and community well-being. Through laws, prophetic warnings, and the teachings of Jesus, Scripture calls for a society where land and resources are shared fairly, reflecting God's heart for justice and care for all people.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 47:20-26
And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.
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Isaiah 5:8
Woe to them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the middle of the earth!
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Micah 2:1,2
Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil on their beds! when the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.
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Library

Household Salvation
... Judaism wraps itself up within itself, and claims a monopoly of blessing for the
chosen ... heirs of Abraham are born after the Spirit and are found in every land. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/household salvation.htm

Concluding Reflections. Faith and Criticism.
... rationalism which was born and matured in this century in the land of Luther ... as the
Gnosticism of the ancient church pretended to have the monopoly of knowledge ...
/.../section 102 concluding reflections faith.htm

The Dutch Calvinist Colony on the Hudson and the Swedish Lutheran ...
... speculators in American lands to discover that a system of narrow monopoly is not ...
of this city, and the consequence has been that from every land people have ...
/.../bacon/a history of american christianity/chapter vii the dutch calvinist.htm

Non-Resistants.
... use a dagger or a pistol, they may employ cannon, bomb-shells, land and naval ... more
sacred in their persons than themselves, or to give them a monopoly of wrong ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hayward/the book of religions/non-resistants.htm

Commerce
... Nor was the land at all suited for the requirements of trade. ... regarded as indicating
the existence of a sort of royal trading company, or of a royal monopoly. ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 12 commerce.htm

The Government of India.
... The land-tax, we may say the land-rent, is the main source of revenue, but it is
alarming to think of dependence on the opium monopoly for the millions it ...
/.../chapter xxxi the government of.htm

On Smart Novelists and the Smart Set
... of Lords; it is not in the Civil Service; it is not in the Government offices; it
is not even in the huge and disproportionate monopoly of the English land. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/heretics/xv on smart novelists and.htm

'A Dew from the Lord'
... When settled in its own land, Israel's office was to teach the nations God; when
dispersed among the ... We Nonconformists have no monopoly, thank God, of that. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/a dew from the lord.htm

Six Years in North Bengal --Missionary and Indigo Planter
... the tiger-haunted swamps south-east of Calcutta, and there cultivate a grant of
land. ... with the system of advances for salt, and the opium monopoly was then in ...
/.../smith/the life of william carey/chapter iv six years in.htm

The Epistle of Judas
... Sky, land, and sea are then ransacked for illustrations of their character. ... impulses
of nature unchecked, and denies outright their claim to a monopoly of the ...
/.../moffat/the general epistles james peter and judas/the epistle of judas.htm